Chapter Twenty-Three

After two rotations on Coruscant, the tracking beacon that I planted on the hull of Lott Dod's private cruiser begins to alarm sometime after midnight, signaling to me that the Nemoidian is preparing to leave Coruscanti air space. I acknowledge the flashing notification with a resigned sigh before turning to study Padmé's sleeping countenance one last time in the spilling moonlight. I'm grateful that Dod has waited this long to make his move because it's afforded me this extra time with her.

Now the moment for action has come and I can no longer put off what I know I must do. But the last thing I want to do is leave her and so I linger. The need to trace the lines of her breathtaking face with my fingers is strong but I don't dare do it for fear of waking her. Instead, I freeze her image in my mind, the alluring flutter of her eyelashes, the careless way her dark curls fall across her cheek, the plump sweetness of her slightly parted lips…I commit it all to memory. And, after allowing myself one final, fleeting kiss goodbye, I find the resolve to reluctantly slip from her bed.

I dress quickly but quietly, taking extreme care not to wake her as I do. She barely stirs, clear evidence of how thoroughly exhausted she is due to the stress of the past few days. I'm strangely grateful for that. I don't have the emotional reserves for a confrontation with her right now.

After much equivocation, I've decided against leaving her an explanation regarding my whereabouts. I don't want to worry her unnecessarily and I especially don't want to leave her in confused grief given the fact I have no expectations of returning, but… I can't forget the last time I'd given her details about where I was going when I went off on a mission quite similar to this current one. She had followed me then, and the results had been disastrous for us both. I won't risk a repeat of those hellish events in this timeline. Considering how my nightmares have only intensified since that first night, leaving without a goodbye feels like the wisest choice.

Once I'm dressed, I grab my lightsaber from the nightstand table and creep my way into the main living area. I've only given cursory thought for how I plan to commandeer a spaceship and make my way off the planet, but I'm not anticipating much resistance on that front. Nothing that a few mind tricks and some quick talking can't help me acquire.

I'm within a few feet of the exit when I belatedly realize that R2 has powered up and is currently following me. I stop short to confront him with an incredulous hiss. "Where do you think you're going?"

He warbles off a series of beeps and whistles, his small, domed body rocking emphatically as he does. I shake my head at his ridiculous suggestion. "That's a negative. You're not coming with me, R2, and I don't have time to argue with you about it!"

But as soon as I take a step, he beeps again, deliberately louder this time. I freeze again, my breath suspended as I glance towards the bedroom half expecting Padmé to emerge in drowsy confusion. When she doesn't, I relax but only marginally before shooting R2 a death glare. "I cannot believe you're trying to blackmail me right now!" I grate at him furiously, "Is this how you treat your friends?"

Satisfied that he's won the argument, R2 confidently rolls for the door and then toots quietly for me to follow. I fall into step behind him with a reluctant scowl. There is no other option except to let him come along. I'm sure if I tell him that I have no expectations of returning, he will likely put up an even bigger fuss.

"Just remember you wanted to come along," I warn him darkly.

Leaving Coruscant in a stolen vessel proves to be just as easy as I anticipated, but I know after glancing at the beacon and discerning Dod's general direction, that stealing the ship is probably going to be the most uncomplicated part of my journey. The Nemoidian has set a course for Korriban, a remote planet in the Horuset system. Truthfully, the only planet in that system and for good reason too. It had once been the ancestral home world to ancient Sith lords.

It is a planet thickly permeated with dark energy. I had been there many times during my tenure as Sidious' apprentice and even I, in my blinding quest to submerge myself deeper and deeper into the dark side, hadn't cared for the place very much. It was full of restless spirits, barren and desolate and cold. The entire planet served as little more than a burial ground now. The terrain is precipitous and treacherous, demarcated by high mountain peaks stripped bare of all green vegetation. Rocky canyons and caverns litter the ground surface and deep hidden tombs of the dead winding into the planet's center.

Korriban is a place that, unless you're a dark side user, you would happily avoid.

Little wonder then that the planet had once served as a haven for my master. There he had been able to commune with all the dead, Sith lords of the past and draw upon their evil, vindictive energy. In the early days of his plot against the Jedi, when Darth Plagueis had still been alive, Korriban had served as a secret station for the initial construction of the droids that would ultimately serve in the Separatist Army. It was during that time that Sidious began formulating a plan for his master's demise. Somehow, it feels appropriate that I should do the same.

I suspect, given the planet's history, Korriban would be the likeliest place for Count Dooku to remain hidden while he awaits further orders. I doubt that a sleemo like Lott Dod would willingly travel there for any circumstance besides business. If I'm right, I have every intention of ending this war and this ongoing power struggle with my old master tonight. Everyone in the galaxy will finally be free from Sidious' grip…even me.

During the journey, I have a fair amount of time to consider how I want to handle the confrontation with Dooku. Concentrating on that task makes ignoring Padmé's frantic incoming comm messages and my accompanying guilt a little easier. The most efficient solution would simply be to kill Dooku and Dod both. The harder, more complicated solution would be, not only to bring both sentients to justice, but to also preserve their lives in the process. I'm unquestionably more inclined to do the former, however, my conscience nags at me to, at least, attempt the latter.

I'm still largely undecided about it when I come out of hyperspace and finally enter the planet's atmosphere. Korriban looms before me, a bronze spere speckled with clinging, green-gold mists of dark energy. They seem to reach out to envelop me as I draw closer to the planet, wrapping me in their gossamer tendrils, beckoning me home…

R2 gives a low, plaintive trill as I prepare to land, and I know the little droid is probably regretting his insistence to come along with me. It's impossible to ignore the absence of warmth and life here. Death seems to hang in the atmosphere itself. It even chokes the air, making it difficult to breathe.

I decide to set the ship down in the Valley of the Dark Lords, an ancient burial place for the hundreds of Sith lords who had come before me. Their malignant spirits still roam freely here, howling in the wind that rips unchecked across the barren landscape, whispering their seething hatred to all who dare to step foot on this planet. They whisper to me now, commune with me, encourage the darker impulses lingering in my heart…

I staunchly ignore their seductive hiss, but there is something inside me that is responsive to their familiarity, the dark power they exude… They prod at the serpent that lies sleeping inside of me. I know instinctively that I cannot linger here very long. There is an undeniable part of me that wants to answer them, and I know the longer I stay here, the stronger that impulse will become. The sooner I confront Dooku and get off this planet, the better.

There is a monastery less than two klicks away. I decided against setting the ship down closer, despite R2's strident protests to the contrary, because I wanted to maintain my element of surprise. Due to that choice, R2 and I have a bit of a hike before we reach our destination. He toots and trills his displeasure over that the entire way. I largely ignore him as I navigate the rugged terrain with relative ease, but R2 remains unnerved and keeps insisting we return to the ship.

"No one asked you to come," I remind him brusquely.

His response to that is a mournful toot and I soften to hear it because I know he hadn't demanded to come along just to be a nuisance. He had wanted to protect me. I place a reassuring hand against his dome. "Just stick close to me. You'll be fine." His toots his skepticism of that claim but otherwise follows my instructions.

As we approach the high ridge that partially conceals the looming structure housed in the valley below, I crouch down low and signal for R2 to do the same as I surveil the activity below. In the canyon just beyond us, hundreds of battle droids march in military formation. Their recurring footfalls resonate eerily throughout the mountainous valley, punctuated only by the loud, grinding sounds of heavy machinery.

"They're building more droids here," I tell R2, "We need to stop that production line."

I reach down into my utility pack and produce small cache of detonator charges and pass them to R2. "I need you to set these up around the parameter of that building." I indicate the source of the marching droids, what appears to be a production factory for them. "They're on a timer. Once they're all in place, I need you to get out of there."

Predictably, he whistles his strident concern with that plan. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I have some business to take care of first. I'll meet you back at the ship."

While R2 reluctantly flies off to do as I've requested, I covertly make my way down into the valley, carefully avoiding the marchers. I slip around the foundation of the monastery, quietly dispatching any obstacles I encounter along the way as I search for the hidden entrance to the place that only a few know about. From there, in order to evade the patrolling guards, I slip into the ventilator shaft and stealthily crawl a path towards the command center, where I know I will find Dooku and Dod.

I have no doubts at all that he's here. I sensed his presence the instant I stepped foot on the planet. I'm careful, however, to shield my presence from him.

As I gingerly draw closer to my destination, I exit the shaft just before the entering the center of the control room. I'm extremely careful and silent as I navigate the gleaming deserted halls, my breath suspended. In the distance, I can detect muffled conversation. It grows more distinct as I get closer and I'm eventually able to follow the ensuing discussion with clarity.

"…not a fan of being used as bait!" Lott Dod spits in what sounds like impatience and annoyance, "This was not part of our original deal! I am not sure I am being compensated adequately for this."

"Would you like to address your concerns with Lord Sidious directly?" I hear Dooku reply with cultured coolness, "I can hail him if you wish."

"No! No, that won't be necessary! But surely you can understand my concern! There is a killer on the loose after all!"

"And Lord Sidious has promised that you will be protected."

"Like he 'protected' Gunray and Poggle? Need I remind you, Dooku? They are dead!"

"That was an unfortunate turn of events to be sure. But they had been warned against attending that infernal race…"

"I feel very uncomfortable with putting my neck on the line like this! I do not like being used as a pawn! I don't want to be killed!"

"My dear, Senator Dod, you have no reason to fear. Your sole purpose is to draw out the assassin. That is all. You will not be harmed. I will see to his elimination…personally."

As soon as he says the words, the first in a series of deafening explosions shakes the foundation. They ripple through, one after the other, causing the monastery to vibrate with each blast. The blaring of emergency alarms quickly follows. From my hiding spot, I can clearly see the fireball that ignites beyond the large, paneled window that serves as the control room's façade and the thick plumes of black smoke that rises after it.

"You see! You see!" Dod cries out, "I knew I wouldn't be safe here! This was a mistake!"

The instant he starts to run for the exit, I reveal myself, stepping out from the shadows to block his path. "Going so soon, Senator Dod? And before we've spent any time together. That's just rude."

Dod skids to a halt, too stunned by my sudden appearance to utter a word. Dooku is quicker to recover. "Skywalker! I can't say I was expecting to see you here."

"What is he doing here?" Dod demands, "Dooku, you said nothing at all about him attending this meeting with us!"

I smirk at him. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if he had, now would it, Senator? Don't worry. I won't hurt you. Not much anyway."

"It's you." His large, opaque eyes quiver when he realizes that I mean to do him harm. "You're the assassin! Stop him, Dooku! Kill him before he kills—,"

Dod never finishes the sentence. I grab him in a Force hold and fling him into an adjacent wall hard, knocking him unconscious. "I'm not here to kill him," I tell Dooku, my smile becoming predatory, "I am here to kill you, however."

"While I expected that you and I would eventually reach this point in our relationship," Dooku laughs as we begin to circle one another, "aren't you being a bit premature, young one? You haven't even pledged yourself as my apprentice yet."

"That was never going to happen, Dooku."

There is a shift taking place inside of me, a growing feeling of omnipotence that fuels me. It is intoxicating, heady and addictive. Once I taste it, I reach for more and more until I'm feeding on it ravenously, until I'm drunk with it.

I can feel my power in the Force surging. It has been growing exponentially since the moment I came to this place. I'm wrapped in an ethereal embrace that I haven't allowed myself to become immersed in for some time now. It spreads through my limbs like hot magma, bubbling in my veins, firing my very nerve endings with heightened sensation. I can feel Dooku's curiosity, his amusement and yes…his fear. He doesn't know what I am, but he can sense that I'm not what I appear to be and that frightens him. I feed on that too.

As we slowly circle one another like two wild animals vying for dominance, I draw my lightsaber and ignite it. He does the same. I wait for him to come to me because I am no longer that little boy who rushes in headlong without thinking, but Dooku makes no move to immediately attack. He's too full of intrigued interest to strike the first blow.

"I can't understand your motives at all, Skywalker," he murmurs, "Surely you recognize that you're making a very powerful enemy for yourself. My master is not one to be trifled with. What possible stake could you have in this?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Lord Tyranus?" I mock, "Didn't your master tell you of his grand plans? I was never meant to be your apprentice. I'm meant to be your replacement."

I know I strike a nerve, especially when I use the name given to him by his master. But he still seems hesitant to strike. He's too preoccupied with trying to figure me out. "You speak as if you know my master," he scoffs.

"Dooku, I know more than you think," I reply, "I'm willing to let you walk away from this encounter with your life. But this will be your only chance."

When he laughs at my gracious offer, I finally grow impatient with waiting. With a feral growl, I surge forward. Unrestrained aggression is the impetus behind my first strike. He deftly blocks the blow, as if he's been waiting for the assault from the start. His counter sets off a flurry of motion between us. He is swift, measured parries, all artistry and flare. In contrast, I am raw, brute strength. We circle the room, circle each other. Lightsabers crossing, clashing, spinning, slashing in a blur of red and blue so rapid that they almost blend into one.

He is agile for an old man, nimbly ducking out from beneath my blows. I charge him again and again. He counters my heavy assault, deflecting and dodging and dancing away, his lightsaber continually in motion. I have him on the defensive and he knows it, but he gives no quarter.

As for me, there is an unnamed wildness building inside of me. Like something savage and primitive that has been unleashed. Unchained. It's a locomotive now. Moving through my body with incredible, dizzying speed. Overtaking me. Empowering me.

I move faster than I ever have. My senses acutely attuned to every movement, every sound. The flick and snap of Dooku' wrist. The steady hiss and hum of our lightsabers as they meet and part, meet and part. The acrid smell of searing flesh. I am one with my blade, one with the Force. A blinding whirlwind of movement. This is freedom. I realize with some wonder that Dooku was right after all.

Power is freedom.

He tries to keep up with me. Does his calculated best. But I can tell he's growing tired. Debris comes spinning at me from all directions of the room. Sheet metal. Broken pipes. Entire electrical panels torn away from their foundations. I deflect them all. Never break my stride. Never stay my assault.

When I get too close, he flings me back with a powerful Force push. It's evident he needs a moment to catch his breath. He uses it to taunt me instead.

"I think you've mistaken my master's purpose for you, young one!" he scoffs, "You could never be a replacement for me! You can't possibly fathom the glorious empire my master has planned. You're nothing but a foolish child!"

The dismissive estimation infuriates me, drives me forward again with a menacing snarl. "I…" I bring down my blade against his, "…am…" plant my boot squarely in his mid-section and shove him back, "…no…" tower over him as he loses his footing and stumbles, "…child!" one final, glorious sweep and I knock his lightsaber from his hand.

He knows the killing blow is going to come. When the Sith lightning crackles off his gnarled fingers and comes zinging towards me, I am ready for it. I absorb the sizzling attack with the shaft of my blade, gradually gaining the mastery of it.

I can see from the widening horror in Dooku's eyes that he finally understands. He sees what I am, and he knows what it means. I am his death.

"You are a Sith!" he gasps.

"Not exactly," I counter with a smile before hurling his own lightning back at him with punishing force, "I'm something far worse."

I watch in satisfaction as the blistering currents crackle across his prone form, twisting and contorting his frame in the most grotesque, violent fashion until finally he is still. Dispassionate, I move to stand over him and survey what is left. A broken, mangled old man, eyes open and his expression frozen with incredulity much as his former apprentice's had been, his remains smoking with the last crackling currents of electricity.

Only in the resulting calm that follows our fierce duel do I realize that the explosions R2 triggered earlier are still going. The resulting booms shake the building's foundation with each seismic wave. I know that it is only a matter of time before it topples the building completely so I must move quickly to rendezvous with R2 back at the ship.

As I stoop to retrieve Dooku's fallen comm device, I spy Dod from the corner of my eye, attempting to sneak away to safety like the cowardly snake he is. With unhurried grace, I seal one exit and then the other until I've effectively cut off all routes of escape. The action feels eerily familiar, and I know it's because I've done it before, and I've done it with him. Dod whirls to face me with a low, terrified scream.

I click my tongue in mock disappointment. "Are you attempting to leave me again, Senator Dod? I'm beginning to think you don't like my company. It hurts my feelings."

"I have no argument with you, Skywalker!" he cries, backing away, "Let me go! Please!"

"Unfortunately, I cannot do that."

"You said you wouldn't hurt me!"

"I said I wouldn't hurt you much," I clarify, "And that was before you ordered Dooku to kill me. I'm sure you understand how that changes things for me."

He shakes his head wildly, desperately, tripping over the hem of his own robes as he stumbles backwards in an attempt to stave off my slow, mercenary advance. "I can pay you! Name your price! It's yours. Anything you want!"

"Anything?" I echo with a feline smile, "How about your life?"

"Please…please no…" he begs, "I am a senator! You can't kill me! Lord Sidious will not approve of this! You can't—,"

With a turn of my wrist, I snap his neck without a second thought and watch dispassionately as he crumples to the ground. "I don't like when people tell me what I can't do."

Satisfied, I turn my attention back to Dooku's comm link and quickly hail his master. I can't quite suppress my delighted sneer when Sidious accepts the transmission without delay. My entire existence feels as if it has been reduced to this one, pivotal moment…truly what I have been waiting for since the moment I woke up in this time six months prior.

His murky blue visage illuminates over the commlink, his impatience palpable. "Lord Tyranus," he barks, "I trust that you have good news for me! Has the assassin been located and eliminated?"

"Not quite," I answer grimly, positioning the comm to provide Sidious with an unobstructed view of Dooku's still smoking corpse. I bring the comm back into view. "I'm afraid he ran into some trouble and failed that mission, Lord Sidious."

"Skywalker!" He spits out my name like a curse but beneath his incredulity I can sense his intrigue, his unrestrained glee at the discovery. "So, it has been you all along, has it?"

"I'm surprised you didn't sense it, my lord. Or would you prefer that I address you as Chancellor Palpatine instead?"

For an instant, I expect denial and I'm mentally prepared to bypass his evasions and insist that we dispense with the games, but he surprises me when he pushes back the cowl shielding his face and reveals himself to me instead. "You know then?" His whisper is filled with surprise and…pride. "How very clever of you, my boy."

"I've known for quite some time," I tell him, "We have much to discuss. I should like to meet with you in person, Excellency, to…consider the details of our evolving relationship."

"Ah, yes, I'm sure that you do. Come to me on Coruscant. We do indeed have much to discuss, my young friend."

"Yes. Very good, my lord."